Amazon / X-Bull / X-Traction / Offroad Boar 4WD Recovery Boards?

I think I'm sold on the xbulls!

 

This is exactly the way I feel with the Maxsa Escaper buddy. They work great and have gotten me outta several sticky situations as well as helped recover several vehicles when the snow hits but when it comes to stacking they are not the greatest. Sometimes I would use them as a leveler when trying to level my rig for camping in my RTT. They just don't seat really well.

 

I'll toss in my opinion just to add. I have the $70 xbulls and have used them for 4 sand recoveries, leveling blocks at camp for my rtt, and most recently a snow recovery (in july here in co). They work great and there is no way in hell I'd drop $300 on Maxtrax unless I was overseas on some crazy month long expedition. Mine show some white marks where they have been stressed but the knobs are still in good shape and I'll use them untill they snap. I used the money I saved there to buy a winch line extension.

 

Anyone ever try this mounting option out? That mount isn't cheap so I'm hesitant to take a shot in the dark.

 

Hmmmm. I really 100 percent dont need these, but the one time I do would make these pay for themselves

 

I've used my boards twice, they were definitely nice to have.

 

I dont have a winch, so anything that could help if I was stuck would be worth it

 

I still haven’t used mine. Don’t regret buying them though.


I camp/hunt/fish/hike/do shit in the woods alone 90% of the time. I drive in some sketchy places. I don’t have a winch either. These boards plus a good shovel give me a little peace of mind.

 

I was super surprised at how nice the Xbulls were for the money. I think I gave like $54 with free shipping from eBay. They're stout and look great.

As others have said, they don't stack small, but a 2 stack wasn't taller than my rifle case up top so I didn't mind.

 

I have a set of the 3rd gen Xbulls. This winter I intentionally dug into the snow/mud then put my back tires into the holes. Threw it in 2wd and turned off all traction aids. Truck crawled right out. Of course I got stuck 6 feet later lol but they work really well. I’ve also driven over them at low and high speeds just to see it they’d fall apart but so far they look new. They are like $60 on eBay right now too.

one thing I’d suggest. If it’s bitterly cold and the boards are frozen solid, it might be smart to throw them in the heated cab for a few minutes. It seems like the few failures I’ve seen have been from temps well below freezing.

 

That topper really fits well with the styling of your truck. Nice truck.

 

Thanks. Love that topper, I've had it for two and a half, almost three years now

 

For those with a Yakima setup and Xbull Recovery Boards mounting.

I mounted my Xbull Recovery Boards on the under side of my Yakima Outpost HD with the Yakima Recovery Track Mounts.

Secure as in not lose but still need to put a pad lock on there.

Hope this helps someone looking for a mounting solution for Yakima and Xbull.

 

I see everyone is into ordering it in bright orange and bolting it to the outside of the truck to show off, attract thieves, and ruin aerodynamics.

Post up if you figure out how to mount it to the front of the bed using T-nuts

 

Yeah I agree about it standing out...i didn't care for the orange either. As you can see in my post they are mounted on the under side of my Yakima HD Outpost. Low key and it blends in.

 

I got the black

$360 x-bull synthetic rope winch-13000 lb. load capacity

x-bull since I don't off-road and they just blend in better in the bed because thieves. People go for the orange as it's easier to locate in the mud and slop.

 

thanks for all the real world reviews! I figured worse case scenario if these get torn up, I can always buy the $300 later

found them for $60 shipped on eBay- I went with black too

 

MaxTrax aren't worth the money in my opinion. They stack nice, but thats about it. You are going to ruin the studs on them if they cost 300 or 75 bucks. Thats why MaxTrax has a new version where you can replace the studs for metal ones.

I bought 4 recovery boards, for 110 bucks. When they go bad or get broken I'll buy 4 more and still haven't spent what it costs for a pair of maxtrax.

 

What bolts did you ise to secure this? I like your idea.